


Poppy's POV

by TwigStarPikachuTroll22



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Don't copy to another site, During Canon, POV Third Person Limited, Poppy POV, There's a character death described, but it was a character that we already saw in the movie died, but like, most of the characters i tagged are minor characters who aren't a super big part of this, they're there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:06:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwigStarPikachuTroll22/pseuds/TwigStarPikachuTroll22
Summary: Just a retelling of a few scenes from the first movie with some extra detail as to what goes on in Poppy's head at certain parts. Bit of a focus on things between her and Branch. Slightly broppy-ish, though for the most part we're keeping it a bit on the subtle side.
Relationships: Branch/Poppy, Bridget/King Gristle Jr. (Trolls), Poppy & Branch, Poppy & Bridget, i think it's mostly or even entirely platonic in chapter 1, the broppy is kept a little on the subtle side for the most part
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. Total Eclipse of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> So this just going to be me retelling a few scenes from the first movie of the Trolls franchise, kind of like the Junior Novelization did, but going into a bit more detail, especially with Poppy's thoughts.  
> When it comes to fanfics I read or daydreams I have with these characters, a lot of them tend to be broppy-centered and a lot of them tend to be from Branch's POV, and a lot of them are more just entirely in his head than related to anything that happens in any canon events. Plus I've been spending a lot of time consuming fan content and not much time at all making any for a long time, and I think my interpretation of the franchise really got lost the giant melting pot of everycreature else's in my head.  
> So doing this, just really helps me get back into my own perspective somewhat. And lets me try out a bit of broppy from Poppy's POV which I don't spend nearly enough time thinking about. I've been enjoying writing this a lot and I hope some people enjoy reading it.

“A-five, six, seven, eight!” Poppy called out with all the enthusiasm she had.

On cue, every one of her friends grabbed a beauty supply, whether a compact mirror or a lipstick tube, and began to dance and sing.  _ “When you look in the mirror, let it disappear!”  _ Cooper was already busy painting Bridget’s toenails fuschia--albeit a bit sloppily, with nail polish all over her toes.

_ “All your insecuritiiiies!”  _ the trolls sang in harmony as they rushed towards Bridget, ready to give her the makeover of a lifetime--

“WAIT!” Bridget cried, holding up her hands.

The trolls stopped in their tracks.

“Why isn’t this one singing?” Bridget pointed to Branch, who was leaning against the wall where her curtains were, and suddenly looking surprised to have the attention turned on him.

“Come on, Branch! Sing with us!” said Cooper.

“Yeah, Branch! Sing with us!” Biggie agreed.

The rest of the Snack Pack started chiming in as well.

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” Branch dismissed.

“You don’t think this will work?” said Bridget, her voice shaking. The bit of confidence Poppy had seen her gain before seemed to be rapidly faltering now.

“Oh no no no, it’s not that,” said Branch waving his hands. “I just don’t sing.”

“Branch!” Poppy protested. Bridget needed confidence for this! They all had to sing to show her they believed in her! If he wasn’t joining in…

“No,” Bridget said, tears welling up again. “He’s right. This idea’s stupid. King Gristle will never love me!” 

With that, she collapsed back into her pillow, sobbing again. Poppy was dismayed. Even Branch looked concerned. The Snack Pack gathered around trying to soothe her with reassuring words and pats.

“Bridget, just let it go. Just have a good cry. Go girl!” said Biggie.

“WAAAAHHHH!” Bridget wailed, tears streaming down her face.

“All right, now bring it back in.  _ Reeeel _ it in…”

Branch’s face returned to its familiar “I’m-so-done” expression.  _ "Pssht," _ he scoffed. He turned and started climbing up Bridget’s curtain and towards the window above. Poppy couldn’t believe it. On top of showing such an utter lack of support as to make poor Bridget  _ cry, _ was he really just going to  _ leave? _ After coming with her this far?

“Branch, what are you doing? You have to sing!” Poppy said, climbing up after him. She was NOT going to let him abandon this mission now. He was going to stay, and he was going to contribute his support by singing along with them.

“I told you, I don’t sing.” Branch replied stubbornly.

“Well, you have to!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” They were on the window sill now.

“No, you  _ can, _ you just won’t.” Poppy was getting more irritated by the second. Would singing one song when it was absolutely necessary really hurt him? Did he always have to be this stubborn?

_ "Fine, _ I just won’t!” Branch opened the window latch.

“You have to!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

_ "No!" _

Poppy was at her wit’s end. “Why NOT! Why won’t you SING!” she all but screeched at him.

_ "Because singing killed my grandma, okay?!" _ Branch exploded in her face.

Then he turned away, his anger fading to a more pained expression. “Now leave me alone.” 

He walked away from Poppy, leaving her standing wide-eyed in shock. _ What? _

She was stunned. She’d never expected somehow for there to be a real reason behind his refusal to sing. At most, she’d expected he just had a terrible voice and was embarrassed about it. Or just hadn’t realized how awesome singing could be. She never would’ve imagined he had a reason like  _ that. _ Did he just say singing  _ killed _ his…?  _ What? _

_ How? _

Branch sat at the window’s edge at the opposite side from where Poppy stood. He curled up on himself in a little ball. He looked so small, and sad, and afraid. Nothing like his usual snarky, guarded demeanor. She’d never seen him like this before. 

The Snack Pack seemed just as surprised as Poppy.

“My uncle broke his neck tap-dancing once,” said Cooper, not very helpfully.

Poppy walked over to Branch, wringing her hands. It broke her heart, honestly, seeing him so sad. “How did...singing kill your grandma?” she asked, sitting down in front of him. “What song was she singing?” she couldn’t help asking.

Branch gave the saddest sigh she had ever heard. “I was the one singing."

Poppy’s eyes widened.

Sorrowfully, Branch poured out the whole story.

“That day, I was so lost in the song...I didn’t hear my grandma trying to warn me…”

~

_ Little Branch, maybe four or five years old, singing and dancing upon a tree bough.  _

_ “And I need you now tonight… And I need you more than ever… “ _

_ A huge, menacing bergen--Chef--drawing close, heading towards him. Little Branch not even noticing, too completely absorbed in the music, the rhythm, the words, his own voice and his own moves. _

_ “And if you only hold me tight… We’ll be holding on, forever…”  _

_ His grandma, hanging clothes out to dry nearby, looking over and seeing what was happening. “Branch! Watch out!” _

_ Little Branch still blissfully oblivious as a bergen hand reached out for him. “And we’ll only be making it ri~i~ight…”  _

_ “Watch out, Branch!” his grandma running towards him. _

_ “‘Cause we’ll never be wrong--” Little Branch looking up to see her, then turning to finally see the massive bergen looming over them, giant clawed hand closing in. _

_ His grandmother pushing him out of the way just in time and being grasped in the bergen’s hand herself. _

_ Little Branch plummeting from the tree. “Aahhhh!” _

_ Bouncing off the leaf of a plant. Landing on the ground. Looking up to see his beloved grandma carried away in a bergen’s grasp. _

_ His grandma’s scream echoing. _

_ His own voice echoing as he reached out for her in anguish. “Grandma!!!” _

_ Little Branch kneeling on the ground, the realization of what he’d done settling heavily over him. The grief and the guilt of it. His happiness, and with it, his colors, slowly draining out of him, leaving only gray. _

_ ~ _

Branch sat with a hand on the window, looking out of it with a look of deep sorrow on his face like Poppy had never seen before.

_ “Once upon a time, there was light in his life,” _ the Snack Pack sang somberly.  _ "Now there’s only love in the dark… Nothing he can say…”  _

_ “A total eclipse of the...heaaaaart,”  _ Bridget finished in her soft voice.

Poppy stood speechless. She’d never heard such a sad story--or song--in her life. Had Branch really been carrying all of  _ that  _ inside him all this time? She wished she had known sooner. No wonder he was so gray all the time…

“I haven’t sung a note since.” Branch said. He didn’t turn around to look at Poppy or any of the others.

“I’m so sorry, Branch,” Poppy apologized sincerely. She wouldn’t have pushed him so hard like that if she’d known. “I had no idea.” Branch looked like he was choking back tears. It was heartbreaking to see. “I just assumed you had a terrible voice,” she admitted, feeling a little embarrassed for it now.

“No, no, it was like an angel’s.” Branch said a bit wistfully. “At least that’s what grandma used to say."

Stepping down from where he stood, he turned to face her again, still looking so sad. So...vulnerable. For once, he’d completely let his guard down. He wasn’t hiding behind his usual grouchy and sarcastic shield. Just Branch. She’d tried so hard for so long to knock down all his walls. Now they were finally down, finally letting her see what was really inside.

Poppy gave him a smile. She spread her arms wide, ran over, and gave him a big hug. With all of that darkness and pain he’d carried inside him so long, this troll needed one more than anyone.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Branch said. If he meant to sound harsher, it didn’t come out that way at all. “What are you doing? It’s not Hug Time.”

“I just thought you could use one.” She hugged him tighter. He just looked at her, without a single trace of annoyance, and for once in his life, he didn’t try to pull away. Didn’t even squirm or stiffen uncomfortably. He just let it happen. She savored it, giving all affection and comfort she could in this hug, and enjoyed just knowing he was letting her do it.

The Snack Pack soon joined in, more and more of them gathering to wrap their arms around and pile on top of Branch in a big group hug. Branch bore this as well.

Bridget smiled a bit as she watched them, and soon even she tried to wrap her big bergen arms around the whole group!

That was when Branch’s face settled back into his typical scowl. Apparently having reached his hug quota for now, he squirmed free, shoving everyone off. “Okay,  _ okay! _ I’ll help! But I am still not singing!”

Everyone seemed okay with that, Poppy included.

“All right everyone!” Poppy enthused.  _ “Hair we GO!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!  
> A bit short perhaps, but... **shrugs**  
> I have another scene retelling I've been writing too, which I will add as a second chapter when I find a way to conclude it. And there's a third scene I MIGHT want to take a stab at later too.  
> Hope y'all like this. <3


	2. I might never come up for air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bridget's--ahem, _Lady Glittersparkles_ 's date with Gristle has a few ups and downs, and some VERY exciting and unexpected developments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back with another chapter! I gotta say, the amount of hits, kudos, and super nice comments on the first one have had me ECSTATIC and I cannot WAIT to see what y'all think of this one!  
> So yeah, we're jumping to the scene where Bridget as "Lady Glittersparkles" is at Starfunkle's getting some pizza with King Gristle. Broppy is implied a bit more this time. It only makes up a small part of this scene, but we all know that one moment is AMAZING and I just HAD to try writing it from Poppy's POV. Fun fact, it was actually the first part of this whole fic that I wrote. It felt wrong just putting that moment without all the context though, so I got to have fun and challenge myself with the rest of this scene.  
> Enjoy! :-)

SPLAT! An extra-greasy pizza was dropped in the middle of the table where King Gristle and “Lady Glittersparkles” were sitting. 

“Enjoy your pizza,” croaked the waiter bergen in monotone. “Here’s your tokens.” He flipped a few tokens onto the table and left.

“Ooooh, so fancy,” said Bridget. “Good thing I brought my appetite.” 

She and Gristle both reached for the same slice of pizza. Their hands touched.

The two bergens looked at each other. For a long moment, they simply stared into each other’s eyes, slowly leaning closer...It looked like such a classic moment right out of a romance movie, you could almost hear the music...

Then Bridget slapped Gristle’s hand away, grabbed the slice of pizza, and started wolfing it down, throwing him a look that seemed almost irritated at him for trying to take it first.

For a moment Poppy cringed, worried that Bridget acting so rude would drive the bergen king away. But somehow, luckily, it seemed to have the opposite effect. He broke into a grin. “You are  _ fantastic! _ ”

Bridget continued to devour the last of her pizza slice without saying a word back to him. 

“Bridget!” Poppy said. “Compliment him back!”

“I like your back,” Bridget said to Gristle. Oof--guess she hadn’t heard right.

“No! I meant, say something nice about him!” Poppy corrected quickly.

“But I do like his back,” Bridget told her, not quite quietly enough.

“Huh?” said Gristle, pausing to look at Bridget in confusion with a slice of pizza halfway to his mouth.  _ Oops. She said that too loud. _

Bridget stared like a deer in the headlights. “Uhhh...ehhh…”

Uh oh. It looked like Poppy was going to have to step in here and tell her what to say.

“Uh. Your eyes.” Poppy tried, searching for a compliment. “They’re, uh…” She looked at King Gristle’s eyes, trying to find something nice to say. They were dry and bloodshot and... those didn’t sound like compliments at  _ all. _ Maybe she should find something else to compliment.

“Eugh. Ooh, your... _ ears…? _ ” She looked at one of his pointy little bat-like ears. It had a dark green mole on it. The ear twitched.  _ Ew. _ What nice things could say about those? Come on, there had to be  _ something... _

“Your eyes.” Said Bridget. “Uh. Ears. Uh.”

“Uh, nose!” Biggie prompted.

“Neck!” Cooper called out.

“Skin!” said Satin and Chenille together.

Overwhelmed, Bridget mindlessly repeated exactly what every troll said. “Skin. Neck. Ears. Nose. Face. Back of your head.” 

Gristle looked confused. “Uhh, are you okay?” Uh oh. This was going south. They had to save this  _ fast-- _

“Your  _ TEEeeEeEeEth,” _ autotuned Guy Diamond.

“TEEeeEEeeEEth,” Bridget tried to mimic. 

“What’s going on?” King Gristle snapped, starting to get upset. “Are you making fun of me?” He got up and-- _ oh no, no, no _ \--started to step away from the table--

“Your eyes!” Bridget said, straightening up and speaking with more certainty. “They’re like...two pools, so deep I fear...if I dive in…”

Gristle stopped. He stared at her, seemingly stunned by the sudden poetic compliments coming out of her. 

Poppy was just as surprised, not to mention confused. The Snack Pack seemed to be too. Who was giving Bridget poetic lines like  _ that? _ Poppy turned and just about had to double take in astonishment at who it was...

“I might  _ never _ come up for air,” Branch finished softly.

“I might...never come up for air,” Bridget repeated to Gristle.

Poppy looked at Branch, stunned. Where had  _ this _ come from?

“And your smile,” he continued. “The sun itself turns jealous, and refuses to come out from behind the clouds…”

Poppy kept looking at him in amazement. A smile came to her face, her insides tingling. Who ever would’ve thought Branch could come up with poetry like that?  _ Guess he wasn’t kidding about being passionate about romance after all. _ And besides the words themselves, there was the way he said them, so soft and earnest. She got chills listening to him.

“...Knowing it cannot shine half as bright.” Bridget finished.

“I kinda do have a nice smile, don’t I?” Gristle said bashfully, sitting back down and smiling at Bridget.

“Yes,” Branch said, with an extra note of sincerity in his voice. Unexpectedly, he turned and looked at Poppy. “You do.”

Something about the way he said it, the way he looked at her, made her insides feel so warm. He looked as open, earnest, soft, and sincere as he sounded. Just like when he’d told her about his grandma, Poppy could tell she was seeing him with his guard down, seeing him open himself up. She was seeing the real Branch, underneath the scowls and sarcasm he usually hid behind. And she really, really liked what she saw. A smile spread over Poppy’s face. 

For a moment, she saw him smile back. It was just a little smile, but there was no trace of smugness or snarkiness to it. A  _ real  _ smile. She could hardly recall ever seeing Branch really, truly  _ smile. _ She felt a tingling inside. Hair, his whole face looked different, in a good way, when it wasn’t scrunched into a scowl. She could keep looking at him like this all day. He had what was possibly the nicest smile she’d ever seen in her life. And had his eyes always been that blue?

Then he stopped smiling. His brow creased with worry again as his eyes darted down, then back at her, then down again. He turned away.  _ Aww, now he’s all self-conscious. Adorable. _

“I can’t believe I’m about to say this…” Bridget said, with no prompting at all, quickly turning Poppy’s attention back to the date. What was she about to say _ now? _

“Guys, she’s going rogue!” Biggie whispered worriedly to his friends.

“But...being here with you today, makes me realize that true happiness is possible.” she continued.

Poppy was awestruck.  _ "Whoa,”  _ she breathed. Bridget expressing her true feelings like that? Speaking from her heart? And saying things like  _ this?  _ Could this day get any more amazing??

Gristle seemed just as stunned. “It is.” He said. “True happiness, is a lot closer than you think.” He edged closer to sit right next to Bridget.

“It’s right here.” For a moment he looked like he was gesturing to his heart, but instead he took the jewel locket on his cape’s clasp and held it out towards Bridget. 

“Oh. That’s...pretty, I guess,” said Bridget, sounding a little disappointed.

“What do you think now?” King Gristle opened the locket...and revealed a gasping, panting troll inside of it. It was Creek! And sure enough, just as Poppy had hoped, he was alive! 

Branch gasped. “Creek?”

“I  _ knew  _ he was alive!” Poppy gasped with delight. She was right, Creek was alive, there was still a chance of saving him!! She could just scream!

The Snack Pack gave hushed cheers. “Mr. Dinkles, he’s alive!” said Biggie.

“OHHHH  _ SNAP." _ said Mr. Dinkles in a deep voice.

The other trolls all gasped and gaped at the little worm in shock.

Biggie leaned close in wide-eyed disbelief. “ _ You just talked!" _

“Mew!” said Mr. Dinkles as if nothing had happened.

Trying to shake off the craziness of whatever THAT was, Poppy turned her attention back to Creek. “I’ve been saving this little guy,” said Gristle, clasping Creek in his fingers and holding him towards Bridget.

“Help!” Creek said in an almost-whimper. He was covered in dirt smudges and sweat, his hair was messy, and he looked terrified out of his mind, nothing like his usual calm, centered self. Being almost eaten and being trapped inside the bergen king’s locket could NOT have been nice to him. Poor Creek! They really did have to save him!

Gristle put him back in his locket. “Mercy--!” Creek cried out just before it snapped shut.  _ Don’t worry Creek, _ thought Poppy.  _ We’ll get you out of there as soon as we can! Just hang on a little longer… _

“Tell me, milady,” Gristle said to Bridget. “Will I be seeing you at the Trollstice feast?”

“Well, duh,” said Bridget, and she chuckled. “I’ll be working.”

Poppy gasped. No, this was a chance to see him again after today! Bridget had to be open to being there! “It!” she hissed as a quick fix.

“It!” said Bridget. She put the pieces together. “Working it! You know…”

She got up and started giving a few dance moves, pointing her fingers down to the floor. “Working it~!”  _ Yes! That’s it! You go, Bridget! _

Gristle seemed more than pleased. “Yeah! You’re not kidding you will! ‘Cause you’re gonna be there as my plus-one!”

“Really?” Bridget gasped, looking at him with wide eyes like she couldn’t believe her ears. Inside her hair, Poppy was grinning ear to ear, barely able to keep from squealing out loud. Gristle wanted a second official date with Bridget! This was going better than she could’ve hoped!

“Assuming you’ll say yes?” Gristle said nervously, wringing his hands a bit.

“Yes!” cried Bridget happily.

“Yes!” said Gristle, pumping his fists in excitement.

“YES!” All the trolls whisper-cheered, pumping their fists in excitement too. On top of Operation Save Creek, Operation Get Bridget With Her Man was looking out to be a huge success!

Gristle tugged and stretched at his too-small t-shirt. “Meantimes, maybe we should find some other way to...work up an appetite.” 

“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?” Said Bridget, returning his flirty expression. 

Apparently, the answer was the roller rink, and as the bergen couple was heading over there to get their skates on, Poppy had a bit of time to think about how well this mission was going right now. She could barely contain her excitement. Bridget and Gristle’s date was going great, they now had proof that _ Creek _ was alive and knew exactly where he was so they could still save him, and… even Branch was starting to open up, to let her see sides of himself she’d never seen before. Sides of himself she never would’ve guessed were there. 

She looked over at Branch again and felt her insides hum. She’d always believed there was good inside him behind all his walls, she’d been trying for years and years to bring it out, but  _ this...  _ well, it looked like there was more than she ever could’ve imagined. She smiled, cheeks growing oddly warm. 

She hoped she’d get to see plenty more of these hidden parts of Branch from here on out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading, folks! There's one more scene I wanna do...it's probably one THE most amazing parts of the movie and I hope I can get it right. I think y'all might be able to guess which one I mean. I'll try to get it out soon. I'm getting excited already!!! !!!!


	3. True Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think some of y'all might've guessed which scene this was going to be. And uh, _the broppy is strong with this one._ Hee hee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop woooop!! Finally got the third chapter out! I wrote most of this at like 2 AM last night, ha ha... y'know, a lot of this fic was written while I was half-asleep actually. I wrote chapter 1 and a good deal of chapter 2 first thing in the morning when I wasn't fully awake yet, and the majority of this chapter was written late at night when my brain was a little tired and loopy but somehow perfectly got into a groove for writing. This may or may not be healthy. Those were just the times when I somehow just got in the right mood for it and my brain just went on a roll and I HAD to get it down, y'know? Anyways, here's chapter 3! Hope you like it!

“Now let’s prepare the main course…” Chef’s voice thundered from above. “THE TROLLS!” her wicked laughter echoed as other bergen cooks poured out the rest of Troll Village in waterfalls from their pouches into the giant cooking pot. Poppy could do nothing but stand there in the middle of it and watch, her stomach sinking. 

King Peppy hit the pot floor just as the lid was placed on the pot, shutting out all the light from outside. “Poppy?” he gasped, seeing her. 

“Poppy!” Her father ran up to her and gave her a hug. “Oh, thank goodness you’re all right.” 

Ordinarily Poppy would’ve enjoyed and happily returned the hug. But now she just stood there, feeling hollow inside, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Somehow, instead of comforting her or cheering her up, the hug only made her feel worse. Like she didn't deserve it, after how badly she'd messed everything up. 

“I’m doing great,” she said sarcastically with a weak smile, breaking away from her dad and starting to walk away. “I got everyone I love thrown in a pot, thanks for asking.” 

After a moment of silence, Biggie spoke up. “Poppy,” he said, sounding concerned. “Are you being... _sarcastic?”_

She whirled to him. “YES!” It came out as a shrill, exasperated yell.

Everyone gasped. 

“I’m sorry.” she said to them all. “I don’t know why I thought I could save you. I was just trying to keep everyone safe, like you did, Dad. But I couldn’t.” Her voice cracked, tears stinging her eyes. She turned away, unable to look at everyone she'd failed. 

“I let everybody down.” She took a few more steps before dropping down on her knees, slumped over, head bowed in shame. She’d been so  _ sure  _ she could save all her friends from being eaten. She’d gone on this whole ridiculous mission. And now not only were they going to be eaten anyway,  _ all _ the rest of her people were too. 

Because of her. Because she’d never known when to give up. If she hadn’t been so insistent on trying to save all her friends, including Creek, so stupidly certain she’d succeed…

_ Why did I think I could do this? _

_ Guess looking on the bright side all the time just leaves you blind. _

_ Some princess I am. Some queen I would've turned out to be.  _

“But...Poppy…” came Branch’s voice. Oh yeah. She’d dragged him into this mess too. When he’d seen from the start how impossible and pointless this mission was.

“You were right, Branch,” she said despondently. “The world isn’t all cupcakes and rainbows.” Somehow, saying it aloud only made it worse. She could just feel any last shred of hope drain out of her. All she felt was...gray.

And a moment later, looking down into her hands and knees, she saw they looked as gray as she felt. Every trace of color drained from her, inside and out.

Somewhere at the ends of her peripheral vision, she could see the same thing happen to the other trolls, one by one. Part of her felt even worse for that. The rest of her thought,  _ what does it matter. We’re all about to be eaten anyway.  _ She closed her eyes.

For awhile, she simply sat there. Bowed under the weight of everything -- the guilt for how badly she’d messed everything up, the grief and pain for her former friend who’d betrayed her, the shame for ever stupidly thinking she could fix this, the utter hopelessness of knowing they were all trapped in this pot now, about to be served to the bergens for Trollstice, and there was no possible way out. The pain was all too much to bear.

There was no sound, the silence in the dark pot hanging over it all. 

And then, unexpectedly, a voice started to sing…

_ “You with the saaad eyes~”  _

The voice was soft, sweet, clear, one might even say angelic. She knew the name, face and voice of every troll in the village, but oddly enough she didn’t quite recognize this one… though it did sound just the  _ tiniest _ bit familiar… She opened her eyes and looked up in the direction the voice had come from. 

She saw Branch step forward from where he’d stood. Other trolls around him were looking at him in shock, but he was only looking at her.

_ "Don’t be discouurraged~" _ he sang in that soft, sweet voice.

Poppy wanted to be amazed, delighted, over the moon to hear Branch finally,  _ finally _ sing. She’d been waiting for that for so long. But in the situation they were in now -- the situation  _ she’d _ put them in -- she just didn't have it in her.

Branch knelt down beside her. He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face to look up at him. He smiled, just a little bit, like he was trying to coax a smile out of her.

She couldn’t bring herself to smile right now. She just looked at him. Couldn’t Branch, of all trolls, see how hopeless everything was? He’d spent years and years trying to break all kinds of unhappy realities to her and all the other trolls. Of all the times to  _ not _ be pessimistic, was he really choosing  _ now?  _ When there really was no bright side to be seen?

_ “Oh I realize,”  _ Branch sang,  _ “It’s hard to take courage… In a world full of people… You can lose sight of it all. The darkness inside you, can make you feel so small.” _

Poppy sat there listening, drinking the song down. She had to admit, it did a good job of putting words to how she felt right now.  _ Small.  _ There was no better way of putting it. Small, overwhelmed and helpless to do anything in the face of all this. It was almost comforting, the tune and Branch's voice and how well he seemed to understand.  


_ Ding!  _ Poppy’s Hug time watched chimed, blooming with a soft pink glow.

Branch opened his arms, smiling, offering her a hug.

Any other time Poppy would gladly accept, overjoyed that Branch  _ wanted _ a hug. But what use were hugs now? She turned away, covering the pink glow of her bracelet with her now-gray hand. 

Somewhere else in the pot, she heard the  _ Ding!  _ of another Hug Time watch. Then another. Then another, and another. And another. And another. More and more Hug Time watches chimed one by one, in a rhythm and tune that seemed to match Branch’s song.

She could faintly hear the voices of Chef and Bridget outside the pot.

“What are you doing? The king is waiting. Get those trolls up there!” Chef was barking sternly. 

“Sorry, Chef.” came Bridget's soft, shaky voice. 

“Oh, you are sorry…” came Chef's voice again, condescending and dripping with contempt. 

A moment later, Poppy's attention was fully turned back to Branch as he took her softly by the hands and gently pulled her to her feet. _ “Show me a smiiile, then~” _ he sang.  _ “Don’t be unhappy. Can’t remember when…” _

Poppy took her hands from his and started to walk away. But Branch followed, still singing.  _ “...I last saw you laughing. This world makes you crazy.”  _ In another surprising out-of-character move, he slid across the floor on his knees with a big, goofy grin. At this Poppy couldn’t help smiling a little.  _ He's such a dork. _

_ “And you’ve taken all you can bear. Just, call me up, ‘cause I will always be there.” _

Poppy’s insides hummed. There was so much open earnesty and  _ devotion _ in his words, in his voice, in the way he looked at her, and it warmed Poppy’s heart. Like some kind of golden glow inside her. Her was doing this for her. Because he wanted to see her happy and smiling again. Enough that after all those years refusing to sing after his grandma's death, he was singing now. She was so touched to hear Branch sing --  _ sing  _ \-- like this, for  _ her.  _ In spite of everything, it made her so happy just to see that he cared this much.

_ “And I see your truuue cooolors, shining through,”  _ Branch gestured down to her feet and started to stand up. Poppy looked down and saw to her surprise that her feet had turned their familiar bright pink hue, which had begun to spread and climb up her legs. _Her color was coming back._ She looked up at Branch in awe.

_ "I see your truuue cooolors,”  _ Branch sang sweetly as Poppy watched the color flow back into her dress, then her arms, making her look -- and feel -- that much more like herself again.  _ “And that’s why I love you~” _

_** What?  **_ Poppy looked up from her hand, stunned. She turned and looked at Branch in utter astonishment.  _ “That’s why I love you”?  _ Were her ears deceiving her? Had  _ Branch _ really said -- no,  _ sung  _ \-- those words to her?  _ Did he really mean it??? _

Branch smiled at her. Hair, he had such a great smile. And unlike before in Bridget's hair, this time it lasted longer than a second, giving her more time to enjoy the sight of it. He didn’t grow suddenly self-conscious, didn’t look away, didn’t show any trace of doubt. He just kept looking at her, making no move to take back what he’d just sung. 

He meant it. He loved her. He really loved her. She could see it in those (gorgeous) blue eyes of his. She could just about see right into his heart and soul. 

She liked...no,  _ loved  _ what she saw.

Poppy smiled back at him, more touched than she could possibly find a way to say. But of course, if she couldn't say it, she could sing it instead. 

_ “So don’t be afraid,”  _ she sang, stepping closer and reaching for Branch’s hand.

_ “To let them shooo~o~ow,”  _ they sang together, their hands coming up to touch palms. And as they touched, something even  _ more _ utterly amazing happened. Branch’s gray hand turned a brilliant, glowing bright blue! Branch seemed too busy looking at Poppy to notice at first, but Poppy watched in amazement as the color spread, flowing up his arm.

_ “Your truuue cooolors,”  _ both trolls sang, and Poppy watched the blue spill over Branch’s face and down the rest of his body, Branch looked down and noticed it too. He glanced back at Poppy in shock for a moment, as if to say  _ Oh my gosh, are you seeing this??? _

_ “Truuue cooolors are beautiful~”  _ they sang, and looked up to see Branch’s black hair flush a deep, vibrant, violet-blue shade. Was it suddenly taller than before too?

Poppy could barely believe her eyes.  _ So these were Branch’s true colors... _ She’d never thought she’d see the day. She’d gotten so used to seeing him in gray, never would’ve imagined anything different. Judging by the astonished look Branch gave her, he’d never believed this would happen either. But now here they were, and after so long his true colors had finally come back. And they  _ were _ beautiful. More beautiful than anything she’d ever seen in her life.

Taking both her hands now, Branch led her into the steps of a slow dance.  _ “I see your truuue cooolors, shiiniing through…” _

_ “Truuue cooolors,”  _ She sang back to him, heart fluttering, as their feet stepped and glided and spun, dancing all around the pot. 

_ “I see your truuue cooolors,”  _ they sang, voices blending in harmony as they danced, with Poppy now twirling around him before grabbing his hands again.  _ “And that’s why I love you!”  _ In her peripheral vision, she could see that one by one, colors were returning to all the other trolls as well, and her happiness grew seeing the hope and joy and color return to them all. But really, the vast majority of her focus remained on Branch. She honestly couldn’t look away. Who would’ve known he could dance like this? And  _ sing _ like this! His grandma was right, he really did have a voice like an angel. Poppy could listen to him all day. They looked into each other's eyes, holding hands as they danced.  _ “So don’t be afraid~...To let them shooo~o~ow…”  _

_ “Your truuue cooolors…”  _ Branch sang sweetly.

_ “Truuue cooolors--”  _ she sang back, heart soaring.  


_ “Are beautiful~”  _ they harmonized. This almost felt like a dream. The best dream she’d ever had in her life.

After spinning her around one more time, Branch came to a stop back in the middle of the pot.  _ “Like a raaa~a~aiinbowww,”  _ he finished softly.

_ “O~o~ohh Ohhhh~o~o~ohh, like a raaaiinbooow,”  _ She sang back to him, taking both of his big, strong, and now blue hands in her pink ones.

Cooper leaned in, playing his harmonica. Poppy and Branch looked at him. Then at all the other trolls gathering around the two of them as he continued to play. Then back at each other. Poppy’s heart fluttered some more as Branch gripped her hands tighter. 

She hugged him, and at the same time he hugged her. They fit perfectly in each other’s arms, heads resting on each other’s shoulders. It felt good.  _ So  _ good. How did Branch feel this strong  _ and  _ this cuddly at the same time? He’d been refusing to hug her and avoiding hugs from her for so long, but now…

Well. This was quite possibly the best hug she’d ever had. She felt all warm and melty inside.

They parted and held each other’s hands again. “Thank you.” Poppy said earnestly, looking in Branch’s eyes. Everything he’d just given her with his song, the dance, and that hug… it was all more amazing than she could possibly express, and she’d absolutely needed it to lift her out of the grayness. 

“No, thank  _ you."  _ said Branch.

“For what?” Poppy said, a bit puzzled.

“For showing me how to be...happy.”

Poppy broke away from him, grinning ear to ear, unable to contain her joy and excitement upon hearing that after all these years.  _ "Really??  _ You’re finally happy???” Remembering they were in a pot about to be served to bergens for a Trollstice feast, she gave him an incredulous look, though she couldn’t keep a trace of an amused grin out of it.  _ “Now?” _

“I think so.” said Branch. “Happiness is inside of all of us, right? Sometimes you just need someone to help you find it.” He’d just echoed the words she’d said before when she invited him to her party. Only taking in the meaning of how he said it now, it seemed to touch her on some much deeper level. In spite of everything that had held him down for so long,  _ she’d  _ helped him find his happiness again.

They were both looking at each other and smiling now. Poppy wondered if he knew just how much love and happiness her heart was bubbling over with right now. And if he felt the same. 

“What’s gonna happen to us now, Princess Poppy?” said a small troll child named Cynthia next to her. 

She bent down to look at her. “I don’t know.” Poppy said honestly. “But I know we’re not giving up.” She didn’t know exactly what it was, but there had to be _ some  _ way out of this.  _ There’s always a bright side. _

She looked over at Branch, whose smile grew wider, as if to say,  _ There’s the Poppy I know. _

She looked up from Branch (who’d jumped back into his on-guard and ready-to-protect pose) as suddenly, the pot shook a bit and the lid started to lift away from it, letting light shine in. Was the Trollstice feast starting? Were they about to be served? There were nervous murmurings among the other trolls, including  _ "no" _ and  _ "this is it, guys, this is it..." _ Poppy held onto Cynthia to comfort her and tried to keep her hopeful resolve. There had to be something they could do, they’d come up with something before they could all get eaten, they’d get out of this alive, they  _ would... _

Then, unexpectedly, Bridget’s face came into view over the top of the pot. “Poppy!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! Ha ha, sorry if that seemed like too much of an anticipation-y note to just end on, but honestly ending it any earlier even by a second would've felt incomplete, and if I'd ended it any later I would've had to keep going ALLLLLLLL the way straight to the end, which I didn't know if I wanted to do (probably not). Y'know? Anyways, I've really, really enjoyed writing this and I hope y'all enjoyed reading it too ^v^


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